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THE FOUNDER'S STACK: My New Book Exposing the Predatory 'We Buy Houses' Industry | Local Home Buyers USA
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THE FOUNDER'S STACK

How I Went from Juvenile Detention to Exposing a Predatory Industry and Building the Company That Could Replace It

I used to be one of them.

I spent four years inside the "we buy houses" industry. I watched acquisition managers target widows on probate lists. I sat across kitchen tables from grieving families and made offers I knew were 40% below market value. I saw the training manuals that said "discover their pain points" and "create urgency."

I was in the room when a grandmother named Dorothy signed away $83,000 in equity she didn't know she had.

Then I quit. And I built something different.

58K Words
24 Chapters
4 Years Inside the Industry
0 Ghost Writers
// The Book

This book is a confession, an exposé, and a blueprint.

THE FOUNDER'S STACK pulls back the curtain on a predatory industry that extracts billions from distressed homeowners every year—and shows what happens when you try to build the opposite.

industry_exposure.js
const zillow_iBuyer_loss = "$1.4 billion";
const opendoor_deficit = "$3.7 billion";
const wallstreet_deployment = "$80 billion";
const sellers_who_know_70_rule = 0.12; // 12%
 
// The math they hide. The truth you need.
// What You'll Learn
01
How iBuyers like Zillow lost $1.4 billion betting against their own algorithms—and why Opendoor's $3.7 billion deficit tells you everything about the model
02
The 70% rule that investors use to calculate offers—and why 88% of sellers don't know it exists
03
How Wall Street deployed $80 billion to buy single-family homes, with wholesalers as the pipeline feeding them discounted deals
04
Why the Zestimate is a "statistical guess" that fails hardest exactly when you need it most
05
The nine proprietary indices I built to replace gut-feel valuations with transparent math
06
How I closed 12 deals in 8 months with $120K profit from just $20K in marketing—by showing sellers the truth instead of hiding it
// Who This Is For
If you're selling a house

You'll learn exactly how cash buyers calculate offers, what questions to ask, what red flags should make you walk, and how to use AI to protect yourself from exploitation.

If you're a real estate investor

You'll see proof that transparency can be a competitive advantage, not a handicap—and a methodology you can steal.

If you're building something alone at 3 AM

You'll find a brutally honest account of the loneliness, the doubt, the mistakes, and what it actually takes to bet everything on a thesis the industry thinks is naive.

From juvenile detention to founder. From predator to advocate. From the belly of the machine to building the counter-model.

// FAQ
What is THE FOUNDER'S STACK about?

THE FOUNDER'S STACK is part confession, part industry exposé, and part founder blueprint. It reveals how the "we buy houses" industry operates, the math behind lowball cash offers, and how the author built a transparency-first alternative after spending 4 years inside the predatory real estate investment world.

Who should read this book?

This book is for three audiences: (1) Homeowners thinking about selling to a cash buyer who want to understand how offers are calculated and what red flags to watch for, (2) Real estate investors who want to see proof that transparency can be a competitive advantage, and (3) Founders building something alone who want an honest account of the loneliness, doubt, and what it takes to bet everything on a thesis.

What is the 70% rule in real estate investing?

The 70% rule is the formula most real estate investors use to calculate cash offers. It states that an investor should pay no more than 70% of a property's After Repair Value (ARV) minus repair costs. This book reveals that 88% of sellers don't know this rule exists, which creates the information asymmetry that predatory buyers exploit.

When does THE FOUNDER'S STACK release?

THE FOUNDER'S STACK releases on February 20, 2026. It is currently available for preorder on Amazon in Kindle ($2.99), Paperback ($10.99), and Hardcover ($24.99) formats.

Did Justin Erickson use a ghost writer?

No. THE FOUNDER'S STACK was written entirely by Justin Erickson with no ghost writer, no venture capital backing, and no traditional publishing credentials—just a GED and four years of firsthand experience inside the industry he's exposing.

Preorder on Amazon
Releases February 20, 2026
Kindle
$2.99
Paperback
$10.99
Hardcover
$24.99

No ghost writer. No venture capital. No credentials except a GED and the scars to prove I've been on both sides.

The numbers are real. The stories are real. The loneliness was real too.

Justin Erickson
Founder & CEO, Local Home Buyers USA
1-800-858-0588